AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2024 - 4

PRESIDENT 'S POSITION
Redefining
light sport
Realizing the promise of MOSAIC
BY MARK BAKER / President and CEO
AOPA Foundation Legacy Society member
IF THERE IS ONE THING that's constant in aviation, and in life, it's
change. Everything in general aviation continues to evolve and
our industry continually moves forward with enhancements in
technology, updates to rules and regulations, and ever-changing
issues to track.
AOPA continues to take a leading role in making sure that
these areas of change evolve to help you-our members, and
our fellow pilots and aircraft owners. We are managing several
of these issues that will have a great impact on your freedom to
fly-including airports and FBOs that want to charge outrageous
and often hidden fees, and the move to a fully unleaded future
(progress is being made!).
As the year unfolds, one of the biggest measures of change
in GA that we'll both follow and advocate for is the shifting
definition of the light sport category through the Modernization
of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC). MOSAIC will
redefine general aviation, inviting more pilots to join us in the
skies, and permitting more aircraft to be covered under the
category. All in the name of expanding this great passion we
share. We need strength in numbers.
No doubt you heard the good news from the FAA last year
that it's finally taking measures to redefine light sport. For
many, this conversation is long overdue, and now I am hearing
from pilots and aircraft owners across the country asking
where MOSAIC stands, and what it will mean to them. As I
write this, the FAA is reviewing more than 1,400 comments
to the MOSAIC notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM)-
including comments from us on your behalf. We applaud the
FAA for taking this long-awaited and overdue action, and we
are watching with great interest.
With the work ahead of it, the FAA expects to issue the final
rule around mid-2025, which will begin an approximate sixmonth
implementation period.
As much as MOSAIC will shape the category and greatly
change GA, AOPA looked at the fine print (the proposal is more
than 300 pages!). While MOSAIC is a great step forward, we
want to make sure it goes far enough so that we can all realize
the full potential of this change and represent the full steps
we've been advocating for over many years now. We want to
4
AOPA PILOT / April 2024
make sure that the legacy fleet of GA aircraft get their due
through the new rule.
Consider some of the significant changes that MOSAIC will
bring to GA in expanding the definition of light sport: an increase
of the light sport stall speed (clean) to 54 knots and raising the
maximum airspeed to 250 knots calibrated. Retractable landing
gear and controllable-pitch propellers would also be allowed,
and the aircraft weight limit (currently 1,320 pounds) would
be eliminated.
Thanks in part to AOPA's advocacy efforts, MOSAIC
would expand the privileges of sport pilots flying light sport
aircraft to include certain operations such as aerial work and
product demonstrations. Sport pilots would also be allowed to
fly at night, operating more capable aircraft, with appropriate
instructor endorsements.
Good news, yes. But we don't think it goes far enough and we
are busy working on that for you. Too many of the legacy GA fleet
would not be covered, and that includes many aircraft that have
been used to train pilots and get them into GA. For instance, the
maximum 54-knot clean stall speed is too low. MOSAIC would
allow a Cessna 182 to fly under the category, but not allow some
PA-28 aircraft and other popular four-seat aircraft. AOPA recommends
increasing the maximum stalling speed to 61 knots with
safety enhancing devices, and at minimum an increase to 58 knots.
We are pushing hard to get the rule revised to incorporate all
four-seat aircraft that makes sense for the category. We need to
protect many of the thousands of legacy aircraft that are taking
to the skies today.
MOSAIC is a great step forward that AOPA (and you) have
been long advocating for. It makes strides that we have been
working on with the FAA for years now, and we just need to see the
rule go the distance and expand the category to where it should be.
This will continue to be a major priority for AOPA over the
coming year and no doubt you'll
read more in these pages and
hear more from me as we travel
across this great country.
Blue skies!
mark@aopa.org
MARK BAKER is a
commercial pilot with
single- and multiengine
land and seaplane ratings
and a rotorcraft rating.
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2024
